The Choice that made a Difference

"I must stay at your house today." - Jesus

19 Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.

5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.

7 All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”

8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”

9 Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”-Luke19:1-10

Literally, Jesus invited Himself to stay at Zacchaeus' house. If today, Jesus knocks at our door and invites Himself inside, what will be our response?

It is understandable if we deny 'hospitality' to a friend who suddenly knocks at our door and invites himself/herself in especially if we have nothing to offer or we are undergoing some tough moments in life. But just imagine a stranger suddenly inviting himself/herself in to dine, stay and spend time with us. Naturally we become cautious, suspicious, vigilant and on defensive mode toward the stranger. "What does s/he want?" "Will s/he do harm to us?" "Must I call the police?" "Is s/he really what s/he claims to be?" Well, this is exactly what Jesus did. Despite not knowing one another at all, Jesus called Zacchaeus as if they were the best of friends. And despite the fact that Zacchaeus did not know Jesus at all, he accepted Him to his house and perhaps prepared a sumptuous dinner and accommodation for Him and His disciples.

What followed next is a beautiful story of conversion right then and there. One invitation and one acceptance (or "Yes") to Jesus are all that it takes to make one's life better. Zacchaeus was a rich man owing to his profession as a chief tax collector. And yet, he was able to shy away from wealth's grasp by opening himself to Jesus. Many are saying, "Oh, we can't turn away from our luxurious, worldly and pleasurable lifestyle. Life is better this way. I enjoyed it and I don't want to end it." But the many Zacchaeus of this world is saying, "No, life is better if we live in Jesus and He in us."

Jesus is not saying wealth is bad, the world is evil or pleasure is harmful because we live in the world, pleasure is everywhere and wealth appears in many forms. Rather, Jesus is inviting us to transcend from all these. These things will never satisfy us, on the contrary, it makes us hunger and thirst for it more and more. Jesus is inviting us to go home to Him - Who can fulfill all out needs. Jesus is the real Fountain of Life Giving Water that quenches all thirst and all needs.

Image courtesy: Phillip Medhurst (Jesus and Zacchaeus); artists